You're Not Going to Like the Answer
by moms2398
Summary: Set after "Dark Side of the Moon", between "99 Problems" and "Point of No Return", what happens when Someone comes with answers? One shot.


_**You're Not Going To Like The Answer**_

_A/N: I do not own the characters of __Supernatural__. If I did, I would never get out of bed – with Sam on one side of me and Dean on the other…LOL! I also mean no disrespect to anyone's beliefs. The statements below reflect only my belief systems, no one else's._

_This fic takes place sometime between "99 Problems" and "Point of No Return"._

_This is my second __Supernatural__ offering (the last was an Episode Tag), so please feed the author._

Dean was the first to walk through the door of the hotel room he shared with his brother Sam. As such, he was the first to see her sitting at the table. He stopped short, causing Sam to walk into him. Annoyed, Dean stepped further into the room and Sam, frowning at him, followed.

"What the _hell_, Dean?"

"Who are you?" Dean ignored his brother and demanded of the woman whose red hair was long and flowing across gently sloped shoulders, guiding his eyes from her bright blue eyes and deep pink lips to the V-neck T-shirt over ample breasts. Her skin was pale but not in an unhealthy or undead way. She wore jeans that hugged the curve of her calf that was crossed over the other. Her well-manicured hands were folded gently in her lap.

She smiled at his question. "Come in, Dean, Sam," she said. "Close the door and join me."

Sam closed the door behind him, but neither brother thought of sitting.

"Who are you?" Dean repeated. "How did you get in here?" Dean's hand went to his back to touch the gun in his waistband.

"Let's just say that I'm a friend who is as delayed by doors as you are. And you won't need your gun."

Sam and Dean exchanged looks.

"Do you have a name, _friend_?" Sam asked, emphasizing the last word with sarcasm.

She smiled at him. "Oh, yes. I have had as many as you, but why don't we just go with Ginger, for now." She fingered a lock of her hair.

"For now?" Dean's eyes narrowed. "Is your name some friggin' secret?"

Her smile now showed teeth. "There are those who put a lot of value in a name, Dean. Some cultures believe that to know something's true name is to be able to control it."

Sam's face developed a grimace that made him look like he'd swallowed something bitter, a look he often got when he intuitively knew something very bad was coming. "And why would you be afraid of that?"

She laughed. It was a pretty sound: oddly, like glass bells on a wind chime, gently touched by a breeze. "You're right, my son. I have nothing to fear from either of you."

Dean stiffened.

Sam, however, was the one to speak. "You are _not_ our mother—"

She held up a hand to interrupt him. "I mean no disrespect, Sam. I know about Mary and John, and your grandparents on both sides and all about you two." She stood and went to their fridge. She pulled out three bottles of beer. Placing them on the table, she opened each one with a twist. She offered one to Dean, which he took, and one to Sam, which he refused, then picked up the remaining one and took a sip.

"I also know that neither of you listen as you should. Perhaps it is a reflection of the upbringing."

Dean spit out the draught of beer he'd just taken.

Sam frowned. "What?"

"Who the _hell_ are you?!" Dean demanded. "Angel? Demon? What?"

Ginger shook her head. "While I have done the job of both, I am neither." She took another sip. "But I digress."

Dean pointed his bottle at her. "Listen, lady-" he started.

"Yes. That's what we were talking about. Joshua gave you instructions in the garden, did he not?"

"Joshua?" Sam frowned as Dean suddenly produced a phone. "_How_ do you know all these things?"

Dean moved a couple of steps away and spoke in a husky whisper into the phone. "Cass! You need to get your feathery ass here pronto!"

Ginger laughed out loud. "You truly sound like a father, Dean, calling an errant child. I would like that role for you but you and Sam insist on continuing after you were told to stop." She sighed. "What's a soul to do?"

"You do sound like a worried mother," Sam said, dryly.

"I am, Sam."

"But you're not _our_ mother –" he repeated.

A rustling sound fluttered through the room, cutting off their discussion.

"Dean," a deep, gravelly voice said from his left, causing him to spin on his heel. "I don't appreciate the way call me. I don't have feathers on my—" Castiel, or Cass as Dean called him, stopped short. He was looking at Ginger as if he was trying to remember something.

Ginger smiled, softly, in a deeply familiar way. "Hello, Castiel. You look well."

"He _looks_ like a worn out salesman," Dean snapped, to which Cass frowned, questioningly at him. "Sorry, dude, but you do."

Ginger laughed again. "I can see beyond the purely physical, Dean," she stated. She set her beer down and walked to Cass. "Do you know me, Castiel?"

Cass frowned and tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. "Do I?"

She smiled and reached both hands out to cup his face. Then she tilted his head downward and kissed his forehead, gently.

Castiel suddenly pulled away, as if burned by her touch, as tears leapt to his eyes. Joyful awe, then confusion and, then, very quickly, anger passed across his face as he sank to a knee before her.

Sam and Dean looked confused from him to each other, then back to him and Ginger.

"Where have you been?" Cass choked out, even more hoarse than usual.

"I have always been here," she said, simply.

"But you haven't been. You left. Joshua said – " Cass protested, still kneeling, but now looking up at her.

"What is this about Joshua? Do you know him? Have you talked to him?" Sam asked.

"I talk to him quite often." Ginger said with a small grin, still looking at Cass.

"Wait a minute!" Dean said with vehemence that alarmed Sam. "There's no way!"

"She is," Cass said.

Dean looked at Cass in disbelief while Sam looked at both in confusion.

Suddenly, in Ginger's right hand, appeared an old familiar necklace, made of a leather string and a bronze colored amulet that was hovering, burning bright and red, just above her hand. Sam had given it to Dean when they were children. Dean had thrown it away when Joshua had told them God didn't care about the onset of the Apocalypse. "I believe this is yours?"

Sam took a step back, fear and confusion etched on his face. Dean looked at the amulet with a look of almost horror.

"Cass?"

"She is," Cass repeated with an insistent tone.

"But God is a _dude_!" Dean protested. "You angels keep calling _him_ 'Father' all the time!"

Ginger smiled and the amulet disappeared. She then reached down and, placing her hands on Castiel's upper arms, pulled him back to standing. "There have been times when I needed to appear as a father. Lately, I've been needed as a mother," she explained. "Would you like a beer, Castiel?" She turned toward the fridge.

"If you're going to be a parent, then be the parent we've needed you to be!" Dean suddenly yelled. "As in the parent who whips the kids' asses when they act up! Go spank some angels!"

She turned to look at him fully. "You're raising your voice at me, Dean?"

Dean blanched for a second. "Yeah, I guess I am," he growled lowly. "I just don't understand how -"

Turning away from the men, she returned to the table. "I know."

Everyone stood in silence as she took a sip from the longneck bottle.

Finally, impatience got the better of him and Dean growled. "Well?"

She turned to look at him, frowning. "'Well?' Well, what, Dean? Am I supposed to explain myself to you? I have never explained myself to _anyone EVER _and I'm supposed to answer to you?"

"Hey, lady, you're the one who came to us!" he growled. "We're the ones who've been bounced between Heaven and Hell and all points in between! And all because you've lost control of your minions. I think we _deserve_ answers!" He took a menacing step toward her, then stopped and pointed at Castiel. "Hell, when everyone else said you were dead, Cass kept believing. Don't you think you owe it to him?"

She looked over at Cass, who dipped his head. The smile return to her face, though more endearing. "My dear, Castiel," she spoke, softly, after a pause. "There was something special in the air when you were born. You have always been a blessing to me. My most devoted soldier, my most faithful servant. Do you not believe that it hurts me to see you hurting?"

Castiel's eyes rose. "Then, why?"

She looked off in the distance. Then she took a deep breath. "Fine. I'll explain."

"When mankind was created, I thrilled at their imperfection. Their flaws made them more interesting; their free-will made them curious and allowed me a vicarious thrill at each new discovery. The only rules they had were to take care of the beautiful garden I had created and to love one another."

"And you," Dean supplied, bitterly.

"That was expected, yes. I was after all their creator. Both Father and Mother."

Sam cleared his throat and asked in a voice that made Dean take a hard look at his brother. "What about the tree of knowledge?"

Dean saw trepidation on Sam's face and frowned in confusion, but didn't ask about it.

"Myth," she shook her head. "Like I said, I thrilled at each new discovery you made – I still do! Why would I forbid you knowledge? I only wanted you to gain that knowledge through exploration and discovery."

"So the whole story about Adam and Eve and the snake is false?" Dean asked.

Ginger rolled her eyes. "After I banished Lucifer from Heaven, for insubordination, he snuck into the garden and taught humankind shame. He mocked them, telling them that their imperfection was a bad thing, that they were unclean and merely 'hairless apes', little better than the creatures in the trees." She glared into space, as if at Lucifer in the memory. "It was only after discovering _this_ that I cast Lucifer into Hell."

She sighed. "All I wanted for you was to take care of yourselves and your world and love each other. Make babies and love them. Learn about the universe through discovery. I had a very 'Kum-ba-ya' vision for your kind."

Dean looked surprised, then skeptical. "Really?"

"Yeah. It is why I commanded the angels to watch over you. Some of them took it as choosing you over them and became resentful, but it is impossible for a parent who truly loves her children to be able to choose one over the other."

Both Sam and Dean scoffed at this, then exchanged quizzical looks.

Ginger chuckled. "It is in that confusion that you can see your father loved you both equally. Different doesn't indicate favor."

Dean looked confused. "What the hell does that mean?"

She shook her head and continued:

"Over time, humankind's exposure to shame and anger led to avarice, greed, sloth…instead of caring for the world and loving each other, man sought to _own_ or _control_. It led to the drawing of boundaries, stealing from neighbors and family. I was so disappointed! I found one family: A man who remembered me, took great care of the land and animals in his charge. He chose to commit to one woman and they made love like when the world was new and taught their children about me and what I wanted even as the rest of the world went fell apart."

"So I decided to start over. Lucifer was imprisoned. My angels were loyal. This family would be the building blocks for a new creation."

"The Flood?" Sam offered, still looking a little wary.

She nodded. "Afterwards, I made a promise that I would never destroy humankind again, in that way, confident that I had washed everything clean."

"But I was naïve and didn't choose to think about the demons Lucifer had created. All the 'old ways' began to show again, until I realized that I needed to create some guidelines.

"Mankind had begun fashioning false gods out of everything. Instead of trying to figure things out for themselves, they would blame something on an idol they'd created."

"But those Gods exist," Dean interrupted, finally putting his beer down and shoving his hands in his front jeans pockets.

"Yes. Created by man and given form and power by their beliefs," she seemed disgusted. "I handed down rules so they would stop killing, stealing, lying, but it didn't really work. Not for the majority of the people. And those who suddenly had 'The Word of God' began to fight with those who didn't believe in an effort to 'save' them."

She finished her beer. "So I figured 'lead by example'. I took the form of a human child and walked among you. As I reached adulthood, I traveled and preached peace and forgiveness. Love thy neighbor, love thy enemy. Turn the other cheek. No more war. _Kum-ba-freaking-ya, already!_" She slammed the beer bottle down on the table.

The air seemed to crackle around them, as she took a moment to take a deep breath.

She continued. "Then mankind took _that_ message and perverted it, too!. Your ancestors went to war _in my name! _They used the teachings of peace and the rules that were intended to guide them back to me to justify war and slavery and all manner of abdominal acts!"

She stood and put a hand to her forehead, as if to ease a headache. "You would think that you tell people they can and should have sex whenever they want with whomever is willing and that would be enough to prevent war!"

"Whoa!" Dean held up his hands and looked at her sidelong. "What?"

She turned to look at him. "What?"

"What about that line about adultery?" he frowned, his eyebrow raised.

She sighed. "That was meant to mean that if you make a commitment to someone _keep the commitment_. It was about _EXTRA_marital relationships not _PRE_marital! When the garden was created, there was no such thing as marriage, but there was love."

Dean blinked. He looked at Castiel, who shrugged, then back to her. "Oh-kay. So...Nice to know," he cleared his throat. "But, what about the whole Apocalypse thing?!"

"I'm _TIRED_, Dean! What did I tell you? Take care of the world and love each other. CAN'T. EVEN. DO. THAT. And I made a promise not to destroy the world again with a flood." She shook her head. "So I left. I came here to spread my message through example. It didn't take long for my angels – the ones I charged with leading, guiding, honoring you all – started acting as avaricious as humans. Petty bickering erupted, then war." She sighed. "So I'm done. I'm waiting now. _That's_ why I told you both to _stay out of it!"_

Dean looked at Sam as she leveled her index finger at the two of them.

"I am not doing anything to stop the coming war because it will act as a cleanse." Her blue eyes were now grey. "The world that will emerge will be as new as after the Flood."

Dean frowned. "What about all the innocent lives?"

"What about all the innocent lives destroyed by human wars? How many millions have died in my name since the Flood?! I am _done_, boys! I am sorry. I cannot remain upstairs, pretending that everything is right with the world and watching you people killing each other in my name and over every petty thing you all can think of!"

"Maybe it's because your message has gotten lost. It's been 2000 years since Christ," Sam tried to explain, softly.

"Message?! You people had two jobs!" Ginger cried out raising two fingers in Sam's direction, making him flinch, slightly, which was immediately followed by a dip in his head in an effort to hide the flinch under his hair. "Take care of the planet - which really started going to crap when you started burning coal and has gotten progressively worse, primarily because of gluttony. After all, why drive a small, fuel efficient car when you can drive a Hummer?" She threw up her hands. "And love each other. That's all! What's to lose?"

"So because some jackasses didn't get the message, or got it wrong, everyone dies? How is that different from the Flood?" Dean's tone was accusatory.

"At that time, I could find only one family and I spared them. Don't you think I would do the same this time? Those who are doing what they're supposed to will be spared in the Apocalypse. If an innocent dies in the crossfire, he/she will be transferred to heaven and given the choices all souls are given: to return anew or remain."

"'Return anew'?" Sam's eyebrows rose. "Like reincarnation?"

"Yes," Cass intoned.

She looked at Cass and her expression softened, again. "My poor Castiel. I'm sorry you have been disappointed."

"What of your angels, Mother? You've spoken at length about the humans, but what about us?" Castiel's voice actually cracked. "Did you know how we would miss you?"

She sobered. "Yes, I did. But I needed to be here. I thought you all would be well-guided by the Archangels I left in charge. But they became impatient when I didn't return and began to bicker. The angels began acting like the humans they think themselves better than." She sighed and shook her head. "I suppose it's necessary for the Plan to be a success. After all, one can't have an End of Times without angelic involvement."

"You know what?" Dean shouted, suddenly. "Screw that! You may not care that the shit hits the fan but I do and I'm going to do everything I can to stop it!"

"_**DO NOT PRESUME TO TELL ME THAT I DON'T CARE, DEAN WINCHESTER!**_" Ginger's voice deepened as the room filled with electricity. "It is by my grace that you were pulled from Hell. It is by my grace that the two of you were saved at the Last Seal. If I didn't care, you'd still be calling Alistair 'sir' and Sam would be Lucifer's meat suit!"

"You know what, lady? You can take your 'grace' and stick it-"

"Dean," Sam only said his brother's name, but said in a way that was meant to caution him.

"Fine!" Dean spat. "All the angels and demons out there like to make deals, how about you and me make one?"

"Dean!" Cass and Sam warned in unison.

Ginger's eyebrows rose as a small smile touched her lips. "Tell me, Dean: what is it you have to offer me?"

"Throw me back in the pit and leave me there. Then you get back to work and stop this!"

"Dean, no!" Sam interjected.

Ginger looked at Sam.

"It should be me, " the younger brother said.

"Shut up, Sam!" Dean commanded.

"No, Dean! I was warned and I didn't listen. Because of me Lucifer is loose. I should be the one to pay."

Ginger smiled. "So the Brothers Winchester would take on the role of the Christ?" She looked at Cass. "Castiel? What do you think about this?"

"I think it is an honorable offer, but pointless."

"And you are correct," she nodded as if she were a teacher instructing a pupil. "No, Dean, Sam. No deals. Your deaths would not cause a change in the world's behavior. I am not capricious, boys. I have not come by this decision lightly. I would not take your lives in trade unless it served the greater good." She shook her head. "In fact, the world is better served with you here. You protect the innocents."

She turned, then, to face Sam fully and walked over to him. She smiled when he took a wary half-step backward. "You have no need to fear me, Sam. I am not angry with you. Both of you have had roles to play, and both of you still do. I will only ask this of you: don't let the past destroy the person you are. You have no reason to feel guilty and I would lift that burden from you - but you must first forgive yourself. Please do so, and soon, for the guilt will cause you harm in the future," She reached up and touched his cheek. "Come here, my son."

Sam was hesitant, glancing at Dean, who was scowling, but he bent and she took him into a warm hug. It took a moment, but Sam relaxed into it. When she pulled away, she gently kissed his forehead.

Then she smiled at him. "I should have chosen a taller incarnation," she joked.

Sam smiled, more relaxed than he had been since she'd revealed herself.

She turn then and went to Dean, but did not attempt to embrace him. "You must also forgive yourself. And Sam, too. You cannot continually punish yourself for every mistake anyone in your charge has ever made. What happened in Hell was not your fault, regardless of what you were told. It was simply your part," She placed her hand on his arm.

He pulled away. "Gee, thanks!" he growled. "I never asked to have a part in your messed up master plan," he said, bitterly. "Neither did Sam."

"Oh, yes, you did, Dean." She leveled a serious look at him, moving to look at him squarely. "When you made a deal at the crossroads to save Sam, you signed up for it. It was that deal that _made_ you the righteous man, even though I know you've had moments of true naughtiness in your life," she grinned knowingly at him and placed her hand on his chest. "But your heart is in the right place and there's nothing wrong with having a little fun."

She sobered, turning so that she could face them both again. "I really would like to see you both as parents one day. You already understand what it is to sacrifice for each other, but when you have a child love and sacrifice are raised to a much higher level. I want you to stop so you can stay alive and _live_, boys."

"Mother?" Cass asked, quietly.

She moved to the angel and embraced him. "My dear Castiel. You, too, have done what you're supposed to - except for, maybe the liquor store thing, but like I said, there's no harm in a little fun - and you will continue. These boys are your charges and, in a way, you are theirs. I love you, my son. I hope you find your faith again."

Castiel nodded. "Please-"

She put a finger to his lips. "This is as it must be."

She turned one more time to Dean. "I know you are angry with me."

"Damned right!"

She smiled at his vehemence. "And you have every right to be. One day, we will talk again, you and I, and _you_ will tell me what you think of my plan then. Not that I think you will wait until then, though," she chuckled. "I'm certain you will curse my name often between now and then, but I won't take it personal. I love you, Dean - and you, Sam." She glanced over to the younger brother. "You are legacies, children of the _Sang Real_, and my special boys."

She walked back to the table and picked up her beer bottle, now empty. "To put it in more biblical terms: Fear not, Winchesters, for you are favored in the eyes of the Lord."

And with that, and a flash of light, she was gone.

Sam, Dean and Castiel stood silent at that point.

After a long moment, Dean blinked and put his hand on his hips. "Well, that sucks ass!"

"Dean," Sam started.

"No, Sam! This ridiculous. God shows up and tells us 'don't worry, I have a plan' and the Apocalypse just happens to be part of it? And what? That's supposed to make us feel better?! What kind of _bullshit_ is that?!"

"Dean, we were just visited by _GOD_," Sam reasoned. "It means she's watching. She knows-"

"Yeah, but like Joshua said, she doesn't think it's her problem. She might as well be dead," Dean threw his beer into the sink, causing the bottle to break. "And I'm glad you got a little absolution but nothing has changed, Sam. I'm going to do everything in my power to stop this."

"Everything except saying yes to Michael, you mean," Sam corrected.

Dean didn't answer right away, appearing thoughtful, his hands on his hips.

"Dean?"

"What? Yes, of course, Sam, except for that!"

Cass spoke suddenly. "God _has_ abandoned us."

"You, too, Cass?" Sam asked.

Without acknowledging Sam, the angel said, "I have to go." Then he was gone.

Sam and Dean looked at each other. After a moment, Dean rubbed the back of his head and muttered. "C'mon, Sammy. Let's get the hell out of here."

The Brothers Winchester packed and left their hotel as if nothing unusual had happened and headed to another job, no different than any other day.

_A/N: I recently discovered __Supernatural__ and binge-watched 8 ½ seasons to catch up, watching live, finally, 9.18 "Meta Fiction". Since then, I've watched several episodes over again in order to capture the voices of Sam and Dean. Spoilers: Ever since Castiel took Dean's necklace to start his quest to find God in an effort to stop the Apocalypse, I have wondered "What if they found God?" This question reoccurred to me after "Dark Side of the Moon", I wondered "What would God say?" I had to find a way to do it that wouldn't upset canon, though, and I hope you enjoyed it._


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